Why does Meredith Hunter look out of place in Gimme Shelter?  Because he's exactly in place.  Let me theorize.

Hunter is wearing flashy street chic.  His girlfriend is dressed "hippie," but manicured, suburban hippie, like you'd get at the mall or I. Magnin.  These people aren't dressed to squat on a blanket on a hillside, or shoulder through the tight crowd until they got to the stage.

Yet, there they are.  On camera, within shouting distance of the stage, within the open space of the Hells Angels security zone.  There by nightfall, without getting mussed.  I don't remember seeing them on film in the daytime.

They had to have been somebody's guests, to use the term loosely.  I'm thinking Hunter was known to someone in the San Francisco Hells Angels, or the Grateful Dead camp, and that's who got them so close.  But as the weirdness and tension wore on, Angels from towns distant from San Francisco ignored their invite and took their aggressions out on Hunter. 

How else did they get there?

Don't know about all that,
but i do know that waving a gun around is a good way to get yourself killed  :-/

But let's cut to the chase: Why is he carrying a gun, anyway?  Because he's a fellow traveler of the San Francisco Hells Angels, is a good guess.

A black hells angel ? was that even possible back then ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Meredith_Hunter

https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/remembering-meredith-hunter-the-fan-killed-at-altamont-630260/

DO THE MATH:

Isolated, jury-rigged location + 300K capacity crowd + Alcohol and drugs plentiful + Hell's Angels + Well dressed Black gentleman + Chains, weighted pool cues, guns/knives + apathetic band(s) and promoters = PERFECT STORM

Woodstock was YEARS in the making
This affair was planned in about 20 min...

Egon wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2022 at 2:28am:

A black hells angel ? was that even possible back then ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Meredith_Hunter https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/remembering-meredith-hunter-the-fan-killed-at-altamont-630260/

According to author Joel Selvin in Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day, Hunter spent his teenage years in and out of prison and parole.  Traveling in the same underworld as the SF Angels doesn't mean he was a "black Hells Angel."  Just "a friend of ours," like in the Mob.  He wore out his welcome when he climbed on the stage and the Angels pulled him off.  After that, his original invite didn't matter.

Some things in the account Hunter's girlfriend gave Joel Selvin hardly make sense.  In this "record capacity crowd," she was able to make it back to their car for a nap, and he was able to fetch her when the Stones were coming on.  This, when people were abandoning their cars on the roadside to walk to the speedway.

There's just a bit more here than has been allowed to meet the eye previously.

Note also that the Altamont section of the 2018 Rolling Stone article you posted is such a virtual rewrite of those sections in Joel Selvin's 2016 book (down to the description of the trashcan used to strike Hunter) that Selvin should consider suing.

Egon wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2022 at 2:28am:

A black hells angel ? was that even possible back then ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Meredith_Hunter https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/remembering-meredith-hunter-the-fan-killed-at-altamont-630260/

It's not even possible now!

I guess this belongs here. It certainly doesnt belong in the musician obituary thread :



Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger dies at 83
The founder of the motorcycle gang lived an adventurous life and died following a bout with cancer, according to a Facebook post.

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-1240w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2022-06/220630-sonny-barger-canvas-sj-1037-8daaca.jpg
June 30, 2022, 4:04 PM BST / Source: Associated Press
By Antonio Planas, Diana Dasrath and The Associated Press
The founder of the Hells Angels Sonny Barger has died at 83 after a battle with cancer, according to a social media statement and his former attorney.

A statement on Barger's Facebook page notes his death.

His former attorney, Fritz Clapp, told NBC News in a phone call Thursday he died peacefully at his home Wednesday night following a bout with liver cancer.

The statement on his Facebook page said he's lived a long and adventurous life and is survived by his wife, Zorana.


“If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing,” the statement said. “I’ve lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I’ve had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Although I’ve had a public persona for decades, i’ve mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends. Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. But also know that in the end, I was surrounded by what really matters: My wife, Zorana, as well as my loved ones. Keep your head up high, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor."

The post ended with Barger signing off as Sonny and noting HAMCO, an acronym for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Oakland.

Barger was born Ralph Hubert Barger Jr. in Modesto, California. He formed the Hells Angels in 1957 in Oakland. He has also served as a technical consultant for films about the Hells Angels including "Hell’s Angels on Wheels" and "Hell’s Angels ‘69," movies he appeared in.

Barger’s book "Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club" details his life and experiences with the notorious club. In it, he shed light on the history and evolution of the Hells Angels and included stories about their run-ins with the law.

Barger also wrote "Credos from the Road" and co-authored "Ridin' High, Livin' Free: Hell-raising Motorcycle Stories."

Barger, the leather-clad face of the Hells Angels, was present during one of the group's most infamous moments, the 1969 Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway during which Hells Angels' bikers were hired as security staff and fatally stabbed a concertgoer who pulled a gun on one of their members.

Of the Altamont killing, Barger argued that the Hells Angels acted in self-defense. The club member charged in the incident was acquitted. The stabbing was captured by a camera crew filming the documentary “Gimme Shelter.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hells-angels-founder-sonny-barger-dead-83-rcna36126

One of my favorite parts in the Gimme Shelter film is Charlie calmly listening to Sonny's rant on the radio.

"well done Sonny"